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Middle east Eye
16 March 2026
European allies have pushed back on a US request to help re-open the Strait of Hormuz, with Germany stating outright that the conflict with Iran was "not Nato's war".
Iran moved to close the strait last week in response to Israel and US attacks on the country, blocking a passage where more than 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supply moves through.
Despite a call from US President Donald Trump over the weekend for allied assistance, there has been widespread reluctance to get involved in the war.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's spokesman said the conflict has "nothing to do with Nato".
"Nato is an alliance for the defence of territory," said Stefan Kornelius. "The mandate to deploy Nato is lacking" in the current situation, he told reporters.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius added that while there would be "no military participation", they would seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
For his part, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also ruled out a Nato mission, but said he was working with allies to come up with a "viable" plan to reopen the waterway.
"We're working with all of our allies, including our European partners, to bring together a viable collective plan that can restore freedom of navigation in the region as quickly as possible and ease the economic impacts," he said in Downing Street.
"Let me be clear: that won't be, and it's never been envisioned to be, a Nato mission."
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said on Sunday that the British government was considering sending minesweeping drones rather than warships to Hormuz.
The French foreign ministry also confirmed that France would not send ships to the Strait, writing on X that its naval mission is in the Eastern Mediterranean and remains "defensive".
'Very bad for the future of Nato'
Spain, which has been the most vocal critic of the war on Iran in Europe, also ruled it out, with Defence Minister Margarita Robles saying Madrid was "absolutely not" mulling a military contribution.
Poland, likewise, dismissed any involvement in a naval operation to open the strait.
The lukewarm response from European capitals came after Japan and Australia voiced similar sentiments earlier on Monday, with Canberra noting it would not be sending a navy ship to the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has warned that the refusal of allied countries to help open up the strait would be "very bad for the future of Nato", without elaborating.
A number of Scandinavian and Baltic countries, which have been keen to ensure US support over Russia's activities near their borders, suggested they were not closing the door on the issue.
"We did not want this war. From day one, we have called for de-escalation," Denmark's foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, told Danish media in Brussels before an EU foreign ministers' meeting.
"That said, I believe we need to keep an open mind and look at how we can contribute."
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told reporters in Brussels: "Nato countries should consider" a US request for help but said they would "need to see the entire operational environment and the capabilities with which we could contribute".
His Estonian counterpart said his country was "always ready for discussions with the US, including now regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz".
Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/european-allies-refuse-us-request-help-open-strait-hormuz
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